Remember Phantom
by Midnyght Saber
Summary: Woken in the middle of the night by a premonition of his own death, Danny turns to Clockwork, trying to prove that what he's seen will not come to pass. However, Clockwork warns him that only action can change the future that Danny has seen.


**Disclaimer:** _Danny Phantom_ and all related characters and information are the property of Butch Hartman and Viacom International Inc. "Leave Out All The Rest" is the property of Linkin Park and Warner Bros. Records.

* * *

Danny shot bolt upright in bed, sweat pouring off of his forehead and finding its way into his eyes. Reaching up, he wiped the droplets away, not surprised to find his pajamas equally drenched. Crawling out from under the sheets, his eyes adjusting slowly to the lack of light in the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the mattress, burying his head in his hands.

"What the heck was that all about?" he quietly asked himself, his heart still pounding erratically in his chest.

A murmur came from the other side of the bed. "You alright, hon? You sound kinda stressed."

Danny turned his head slightly to look at the woman that had been lying next to him when he woke up. Sam was looking at him, her hair mussed from sleeping, her eyes displaying clearly the concern she was feeling. He reached over and took her hand in his, his fingers dancing across her wedding band. "It's nothing, Sam," he answered. "I just had a nightmare is all."

Sam sat up, the look on her face going from concern to worried fear. It had been ages since Danny had had this particular problem, and she was silently praying that this nightmare wasn't like the last one. That had turned out far too real, and, in the end, far too deadly. "What was it about this time?"

"I don't think this one was a premon, Sam," Danny replied softly, considering the last time he'd had a clairvoyant dream. Standing, he pulled his pajama shirt off, letting the cool air of the room run over his damp skin, soothing him. "It didn't feel the same. It was more like a warning rather than a premonition."

Danny's eyes glaze over, his thoughts turning back to the last time that this had happened to him. Warned of a severe threat from the Ghost Zone, he had only made moderate progress in working against it, having a great amount of difficulty, at the time, shuffling ghost hunting and his job with NASA. The dream then had come again and again, warning him that what he had done to stop it wasn't enough, and when the dream became reality, one of his co-workers, a fellow he'd attended the Air Force Academy with, paid the ultimate price.

Danny silently prayed that this most recent dream was not connected to his newest ghost power – the ability to see forward in time when extreme danger was involved.

**I dreamed I was missing**

**You were so scared**

**But no one would listen**

'**Cause no one else cared**

"Danny?" Sam asked, worried at her husband's extended silence.

"Don't worry about it, hon. It's just…I don't know how to tell you."

Sam sat up and crawled over to Danny, disregarding his sweat-drenched form and taking him into her arms. Hugging him tightly, she whispered, "If you're this worried about the dream, then it was a premonition. It's warning you, Danny. Don't run from it again."

**After my dreaming**

**I woke with this fear**

**What am I leaving**

**When I'm done here?**

"It's just a warning, Sam. It's not…it's not guaranteed to happen. It didn't…" Danny could feel it inside, the fact that he was lying through his teeth. "Someone wanted to let me know…" he muttered before drifting back into silence.

"Wanted to let you know what?" Sam asked, holding him tighter.

"When I leave this world…if I even can, seeing as I'm half-dead already…what will I leave behind me?"

Sam's eyes went wide in fear. "You didn't see yourself…"

"No," Danny replied, cutting her off. "Not that, no. I just saw no one regarding me for anything that I've done in my life. I'm not the commander on this next mission, and I doubt I'll ever be anything more than what I am right now with NASA. And what of Danny Phantom? What great things have I ever done for the world? What have I done that I can possibly be remembered for?"

Sam's mind flooded with all of the mishaps and adventures that had characterized their high school years, but she dismissed the thoughts as fast as it had come. What had happened with them was only in Amity Park, and though Danny had revealed himself to the town, most people around the world were still unaware of Danny's unique status. Only a few people within NASA and their current hometown of Crystal Springs, Florida knew, and those select individuals kept quiet about the local halfa. They all understood that the questions would start to fly if his identity were ever revealed.

**So if you're asking me**

**I want you to know**

**When my time comes**

**Forget the wrong that I've done**

**Help me leave behind some**

**Reasons to be missed**

"You know, what really has me worried is what my family will think of me when I'm gone – what everyone will think, considering how long I kept my ghost side a secret from them."

Sam smiled. "You may have made that mistake when you were younger, but your parents forgave you for it."

Danny hugged her, silently thanking her for that small bit of reassurance. "I know, but when I mentioned my family, I was thinking more about how Danny Jr. and Elizabeth are going to remember their daddy."

"Hey, you waited until we thought they were old enough to understand."

Danny snorted, failing in his attempt to hide his laughter. "Yeah, I may have, but being ten years was old enough to think that my parents were nuts. Even he thought that I was crazy until I showed him that I wasn't lying. Who knows what Liz is going to think of me?"

Sam grinned, her eyes lighting up. "Just wait till they realize they have powers, especially considering that neither one of them are enthusiastic about what their grandparents do for a living."

"Hey, I don't plan on dragging them into that. It's the reason that I kept bugging Clockwork to tell me how to bind their powers. Once I figured out what I had to do, I did it." Danny looked away, his thoughts turning to the fact that, despite only one parent having ghost genetics, their children had still turned out half-ghost in the end. "I don't even want to hazard a guess at what little Danny is going to think of his hero daddy when he finds out what I did to him."

"He probably doesn't even realize that he's like you. With his powers being bound when he was two, he wouldn't have any idea of what he really is. Besides, you're waiting until he's old enough to be responsible with his powers and no longer a child you have to keep hovering over to make sure he doesn't phaze through things. And what do you mean about not planning on dragging them into the family business? You had no issue with doing that to me and Tuck."

"With Danny and Liz, the more I think about it, the more fatherly I seem to get, and I'm starting to believe that I'll never unbind their powers. I don't want our children to have to carry the same burden that I have. I want them to have a chance at normalcy." He smiled slightly as he looked at Sam. "Despite how you may feel about anyone related to you being _normal_. And I never dragged anyone into this. You got yourself involved in the family business when you turned me half-ghost all those years ago."

**And don't resent me**

**And when you're feeling empty**

**Keep me in your memory**

**Leave out all the rest**

**Leave out all the rest**

"When I turned you half-ghost? I convinced you to check out the Portal, not fall over on the switch. There's a big, fat difference between the two."

"Oh, really? Then how do you explain what you did when you all but shoved me into the Portal the _second_ time I had my little 'accident'?"

Sam raised an eyebrow, a look of incredulity on her face. "I didn't get _that_ involved. Besides, had it not been for you being a boy toy for Paulina, I would have never wished your powers away in the first place."

Danny slipped a hand down Sam's side, his fingertips finding the sensitive skin there, beginning what would develop into a full-blown half-hour tickle fight.

**Don't be afraid**

**I've taken my beating**

**I've shared what I've been**

The two lay back in bed together, wrapped up in the comfort of the others' arms, catching their breath. A weak knock on the door startled the pair.

"Come in," Sam answered.

Slowly, the door opened, eleven-year-old Daniel Fenton Junior stepping into the room. "I heard you and Mommy fighting. What's wrong?"

"We weren't fighting, Danny," his father replied. "Your mother and I were tickling each other."

"Oh."

Danny smirked deviously at the little boy, so much more of his mother evident in him. "So, what did you come in here for? Tell me before I have to tickle it out of you."

Daniel Junior stood there for a moment more in silence before piping up. "I'm going to get breakfast. You want something?"

Sam and Danny broke into simultaneous grins at the thoughtfulness of their eldest child.

"No, we're okay, sweetie," Sam answered, "but check up on your sister and see if she wants anything before you decide that it's okay to go downstairs and massacre all of the cereal again."

One thing Danny Junior had of his father was the deviant smirk that would always cross his face when he'd realized there was a loophole to what someone had said, and that smirk crossed his face as his deep sapphire eyes lit up. "I promise I won't kill off _all_ the cereal," he said before darting out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sam ran a hand over Danny's back. "You sure you're okay with the dream?"

"Yeah," Danny answered, the fear from the premonition pumping like ice through his veins, and he bit back the need to tell Sam what was coming. "I've got time before any part of it would be a concern to me if it was showing me the future."

"Just in case it is…don't wait too long to do something, okay?"

Danny nodded in reply.

**I'm strong on the surface**

**Not all the way through**

**I've never been perfect**

**But neither have you**

"I'm going to take a shower," he said as he leaned over, stealing a short but passionate kiss from his wife.

Standing, Danny walked into the master bathroom, turning the water on after he'd shut the door. Sitting on the floor of the shower for a moment, he let the steam build up, feeling his tense muscles begin to relax. Without even looking into the mirror, he could feel that his eyes had rolled over to luminescent green, and he quickly reverted them. After a stressful dream, it was almost guaranteed that his powers would start acting a little haywire, and this dream had done just that.

_Why would I have a dream about my own death, let alone a premonition? _he thought. _I'm not even sure I _can_ die_.

Getting to his feet, Danny began washing away the sweat and the lingering fear that clung to him like a second skin.

Half an hour later, he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Rubbing his arm over the mirror to clear the condensation that had settled on it, he wasn't in the least bit surprised to see jade eyes staring back at him.

Thankful that he hadn't phazed through anything yet, he closed his eyes, focusing on the split he'd perfected years ago. More recently, however, he had discovered how to pull the consciousness of his ghost form out of his body. Talking to his other half gave him a way to get a grip on a situation, and moments after he had closed his eyes, Danny Phantom stood next to Danny Fenton.

"You seem troubled," Phantom stated.

"You know about the dream. You know what's bothering me."

"And you want my help to what, help you figure it out?"

Danny looked at his ghost half and shook his head. "No. I already know that you and I are the same in thought, so you can't help me figure something out like this."

"Then why split? What can I offer you?"

Danny sighed, lowering the lid of the toilet before sitting down, his head falling into his hands. "What am I supposed to do, Phantom? It felt like the fringes of a premon…like it's warning me, but…" He sighed heavily. "What am I supposed to do?"

"If it wasn't a premonition," Phantom answered calmly, "then there's no risk to you. The problem is, you know it was one and you just can't seem to admit this to your family because it's warning them that you're going to die."

Danny glared at Phantom. "You're not helping."

"I'm being honest. You can't run from your abilities, from your gift, Danny. We can't run from what we know. The last time we tried, Jake died because of it. Your friend _died_ because you and I ran from what we knew."

Danny's eyes began to mist up, knowing full well that his ghost half was being nothing less than brutally and painfully honest with him. "Jake died because I didn't work hard enough, not because I ran from the dream. It was my first time seeing the future like that. How was I supposed to know?"

"Clockwork explained just how your power differed visions from dreams after Jake's funeral. I mean, for someone who can see into the future at will, you'd think you'd pay more attention to him a little more than you did."

Danny's eyes shot wide. "I made that mistake before. Not this time."

"Let's just hope Clockwork is in a talking mood," Phantom replied before fusing with Danny.

Hurriedly getting dressed, Danny shot out of the bathroom. "Headed into the Zone for a minute, Sam. I'll be back before lunch," Danny called as he flew into their basement.

Typing in his access code, the doors of Danny's Ghost Portal slid open, and he headed inside just before the doors shut again. Flying through the familiar realms, Danny made it to Clockwork's tower in short order.

**So if you're asking me**

**I want you to know**

**When my time comes**

**Forget the wrong that I've done**

**Help me leave behind some**

**Reasons to be missed**

"It's been a while, Danny. How have you been?" Clockwork asked, appearing at the door. "Then again, that is a question I need not ask. I know how you've been lately. Your dreams are calling to you again."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, and I was hoping that…"

"I would tell you if the premonition you had will occur anytime in the near future, correct?"

"Your ability to do that is a little annoying at times," Danny scoffed.

Clockwork shrugged in disregard. "Regardless, that's why you're here. Come."

Danny followed the youthful form of his ethereal guardian into the tower, headed to the screen that Danny had seen on numerous occasions before. It was the same screen where he'd first seen the Ghostly Wail in use, where he'd watched his parents' first attempt at a Portal blow up in Vlad's face back during their college days. "You normally keep me far from this room. What's the deal, Clockwork?"

The now-elder ghost turned to his charge. "You want to know. Watch."

Danny's eyes were captured by the screen, watching the final preparations being made for take-off. Seeing the crew members on board, he realized that the future playing out before him was of the next mission that he was scheduled to be on. "This mission is supposed to launch next month. We're under orders to repair four different satellites and take supplies up to the ISS."

"The mission is a success…for the most part. Let's look forward until the end of the mission."

The screen blurred for a moment before resettling on the shuttle again, the crew making final preparations for re-entry. The screen suddenly paused, then zoomed out to the exterior of the ship, focusing on the underbelly. Danny's eyes went wide in shock. "Why the hell is the rear right wheel well open? We should notice that on final prep."

"Mechanical failure. The onboard computer isn't going to recognize it. There's a shorted wire."

"That's bull. The Eureka just underwent a full diagnostic yesterday, and there's another two scheduled before lift-off."

Clockwork shook his head. "You're running again, Danny. You're refusing to act."

Danny hung his head, knowing full well that Clockwork was right. Again, he was relying on others doing their jobs and choosing to ignore the warning that his abilities had granted him. "Why did the dream warn me about my own death?"

"Not death, Daniel. Watch."

Danny did as he was told, watching mutely as the rear wheel and then the tail end of the ship started tearing apart on re-entry into the atmosphere. A large explosion rocked the ship, sending it spinning wildly in the air, careening out of control to crash where it may. A second explosion tore the aft end of the ship free, and Danny could tell that there would be a lot of collateral damage, on both the part of the crew and the debris falling to Earth.

A final explosion tore the fuselage to shreds just as the remains of the ship cleared the atmosphere, now hurtling, out of control and in pieces, to the ground far below. Danny's eyes suddenly caught a glimmer of something out of place in the air behind the shuttle debris.

"You saw it. That's good. That blur that you saw behind the remains of the shuttle…that's you and the crew."

"I went intangible."

Clockwork nodded, smiling. "Correct."

"Then why the dream?" Danny asked, his question almost immediately answered. One hundred feet above the sea, blazing towards the California shoreline, Danny's intangibility went down, the six other crew members taxing his system. A rogue piece of debris clocked Danny in the back of the head, and he and the team fell into the water below.

"The others were pulled out of the water within an hour by rescue teams," Clockwork relayed as the screen went dark. "No one but your supervisors knew how they had managed to survive that catastrophic an explosion."

"They know how because I've shown them what I can do."

"You were their failsafe, although they never said as much to your face. That's one of the reasons they kept you from any and all promotions that you believe you should have earned. They wanted to see what you were _truly_ capable of."

"Please tell me they had nothing to do with this."

"No. They were actually only thinking about what would happen should your suit fail on you during one of the satellite repair walks. That way, they could see just how much your powers would be able to help the space program."

Danny suddenly cocked his eyebrow. "Wait a second – you said the others were rescued. What happened to me?"

**Don't resent me**

**And when you're feeling empty**

**Keep me in your memory**

**Leave out all the rest**

**Leave out all the rest**

"No body was ever found. Although you survived, no one knew that you were only about two hundred yards from the rescue site, carried by the current…and the wind. Somehow, through all that, you never snapped out of your ghost form."

Danny stood there, silent, his mind turning to his family. One little error in the whole act and suddenly, his children were fatherless, Sam was alone, and his family was mourning the loss of someone who wasn't really dead. Tears welled up in his eyes as the screen snapped back to life, Clockwork showing him an event occurring a few days after the accident – his own funeral. Sam, Dan and Liz were surrounded by a group of mourners as well as the crew members from the tragic flight. His mother and father were there along with Jazz and Tucker, the four keeping nearest Sam and the kids.

**Forgetting all the hurt inside**

**You've learned to hide so well**

**Pretending someone else can come**

**And save me from myself**

**I can't be who you are**

The eulogy, delivered in parts by all those close to him, tore at Danny's heart. Even with all the mistakes and errors he'd made as a parent, his lying and deceit about his ghost half, his multiple long stays away from home on out-of-town ghost hunts, and everyone still had nothing but good things to say about him. True, they did mention that he had shortcomings, but they forgave him for every last one, knowing that he was dealing with a life that no one else could understand. He might have been a bit of a handful and a troubled kid growing up, but if there was one thing that everyone agreed on, it was that he'd always given his all to doing whatever he felt was right.

"I'll talk to the engineers, see if we can't get that wiring repaired in time for lift-off. As touching as all of this is, I am not about to put my family and friends through this. That's one mistake that I won't allow myself to make."

"It's good to see you're taking an active role in this, Daniel. It's a better response than you had last time."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"I never said anything to that effect. What I know is that _you_ will never forgive yourself for it, though, because of what happened due to your failure to act. I'm just glad that you learn from your mistakes faster than you did when you were fourteen."

Danny looked at his feet, letting the last of his tears drip to the floor. "I've got to go, Clockwork." Hovering upward, he flew towards the exit of the tower, stopping just before he flew out. "Thank you."

**When my time comes**

**Forget the wrong that I've done**

**Help me leave behind some**

**Reasons to be missed**

Danny headed back the way he'd come, his senses attuned to where the portal was. Keying in the access code to the wristband he wore, the portal opened momentarily, allowing him to return to the real world. He flew through the floor, heading towards his bedroom, only to find it empty. Flying downstairs, he found his wife and kids sitting at the table, eating lunch. The kids had deli sandwiches, his wife digging into her salad. Turning human, he wrapped his arms around Sam's shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Hey, hon, I'm back." He turned to face his kids. "How are you two doing?"

The duo looking up and smiled, both having stuffed their faces with the salami sandwiches they were devouring.

"Danny, are you okay? You look like you've been crying."

Danny wiped his eyes, clearing away the last signs of his tears. "I was, but I'm okay now. I've got a few things that I need to take care of in the next couple of weeks." He sighed heavily, not wanting to admit this harsh truth to his wife, especially after what he'd asked her just that morning, but knowing that he had no other choice in the matter. "I saw something in my dream that I have to act on, Sam. I don't have a lot of time to make sure that the vision doesn't become reality." He hung his head. "Clockwork verified what I saw."

"So I take it that by saying you have to act, you're not going to run like you did from the last one?"

Danny nodded. "I refuse to act like an irresponsible teenager, especially with the repercussions this one happens to have."

"How bad?" Sam asked, hoping that what Danny was saying wasn't true.

"I'd rather not talk about it in front of the kids."

Six-year-old Elizabeth Fenton looked up, her amethyst eyes catching her father's sky blues. "Why not, Daddy? Can't you tell us?"

Danny looked at her, the vision of her teary eyes at his funeral boring into his heart. "Daddy wants to talk about it with Mommy first so we can decide if you and your brother are old enough to understand what's going on."

Elizabeth tilted her head to the size, her raven bangs falling over her eyes. "Okay, Daddy."

**Don't resent me**

**And when you're feeling empty**

**Keep me in your memory**

**Leave out all the rest**

**Leave out all the rest**

"We can talk about this later tonight. Now, what's for lunch?"

"Whatever sandwich you feel like having. It's too hot to turn on the stove today. And before you say anything, yes, it is _still_ too hot even with the air conditioner running."

"Hey, Sam…"

She looked at Danny, her eyes belying her worry as his tone. "Yeah?"

**Forgetting all the hurt inside**

**You've learned to hide so well**

**Pretending someone else can come**

**And save me from myself**

**I can't be who you are**

**I can't be who you are**

"No matter what happens, just remember this – I love you and the kids more than words can ever show."


End file.
